


Everything and Nothing

by ravenclawkohai



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: M/M, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-10-08 06:52:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10380990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenclawkohai/pseuds/ravenclawkohai
Summary: Cloud realizes that Sephiroth isn't interested in him romantically and picks a fight about it.Prompt: "You mean everything to me, yet I mean nothing to you."





	1. Chapter 1

               Zack wasn’t a man of many regrets. He mourned, he missed things and people, knew how he would do things differently if given the chance. But every mistake, every bad situation was a learning opportunity, and he wouldn’t be the man he was today if it wasn’t for the decisions, good and bad, that he had made.

               But he could say with absolute certainty that he regretted introducing Cloud to Sephiroth.

               He had done it for a few reasons, and thought he had thought everything over before making his decision. They were similar, really; their primary difference was in their levels of confidence, and he thought Sephiroth’s easy surety in himself would rub off over time. Cloud admittedly had a bad case of hero worship, but he was certain they could move past it. Cloud would come to see Sephiroth for the man instead of the legend, he knew it. Sephiroth really needed more friends, and while he always learned quickly, he was struggling to pick up social skills. With another person to practice with, it made sense that improvement would follow. They could learn from each other, pick up the other’s best traits while tempering their own weaknesses by following the other’s example.

               He was dead wrong.

               Cloud’s hero worship did pass as he came to know the man himself, but his adoration only grew. He fell hard and fast and anyone with eyes could see it. Sephiroth, unfortunately, couldn’t have been blinder. He noticed Cloud, sure, but in the way one notices new wallpaper. He responded politely to Cloud, made conversation, followed the correct social cues, but he couldn’t give less of a damn about the boy, it was as obvious as Cloud’s crush. Cloud just had too many hearts in his eyes to notice. It was almost physically painful to be around them both, Cloud’s affection and Sephiroth’s indifference making conversation tense and awkward with the undertones neither was picking up on. He knew Cloud and Sephiroth texted, but he’d seen a few conversations. Sephiroth responded in brief, curt little messages in the few cases Cloud was able to pull a response out of him. He knew they hung out occasionally, when Cloud managed to foist himself on Sephiroth, but he could only imagine the one sided conversation and painfully long silences. If he could go back and prevent this situation from developing, he’d take the opportunity in a heartbeat.

               What he didn’t realize was that Cloud couldn’t stay blind forever.

               Cloud had assumed that Sephiroth’s terse silence was just how he was. He imagined him as reserved, withdrawn, aloof, but his participation in social events, his willingness to be around Zack, and now Cloud, showed that he cared. He just didn’t know how to show it. But he caught sight of the text conversations between Zack and Sephiroth, saw the way they readily spoke back and forth at length, instead of the stilted, one-sided exchanges he was used to. He started to pay attention to the way they conversed when he was approaching their table at meals. He started to notice that, even when the three were all together, the way Sephiroth spoke to Zack was decidedly _not_ the offhand, indifferent way he answered Cloud. It broke Cloud’s heart in measures to see it, but he told himself over and over that he must be wrong, that there had to be something there.

               Cloud was never a person with many friends, so he cherished Zack and Sephiroth’s company.

               But as he became aware, he could hear his mother’s voice reminding him, “You’re a Strife: your blood is iron and your spine is steel.”

               Cloud didn’t have a very high opinion of himself—that was obvious. He didn’t have much pride. But if the long years as a pariah in Nibelheim had taught him anything, if the months ostracized from the other cadets and troopers had taught him anything, it was dignity in the face of adversity. He might not fully believe that he didn’t deserve the shit life handed him, but he would not accept his lot in silence. It just wasn’t the Strife way.

               It had grown to a breaking point. He couldn’t stand by and do nothing any longer. He felt sick with nerves, but he called Sephiroth anyway. He told him he had something urgent to discuss and could he come over? It would be brief. Sephiroth hesitated a long moment before sounding put-upon when he agreed.

               The nerves only grew worse as he got closer to Sephiroth’s apartment, but he reminded himself over and over again, he was a Strife, he was a Strife, he was a Strife, and he could do this.

               He balled his hand into a hard fist to stop the shaking before knocking on the door. A long moment passed as Sephiroth came to answer it; he stepped aside and gestured in without a word.

               “You said you had an urgent matter to discuss?” Sephiroth asked, looking at Cloud with a raised eyebrow.

               “What am I to you?” he asked quickly, before he could think too much, before he could psych himself out.

               He watched Sephiroth’s brow furrow and mouth press into a line.

               “I fail to see how the nature of our relationship is an urgent matter.”

               “Would you have let me come over to ask if I hadn’t said it was urgent?”

               Sephiroth paused, but sighed; they both knew the answer. Sephiroth was usually the perfect host, and it was telling that he hadn’t invited Cloud further into the apartment, hadn’t offered him food or drink or a seat. This was to be the brief encounter Cloud had promised. He had to work hard to keep the emotion off his face.

               “You haven’t answered the question.”

               “Cloud,” he started with a sigh, “I really don’t see—”

               “I need to know, and I need to hear it from you,” Cloud countered, only the slightest waver in his voice. “The sooner you humor me, the sooner I’m out of your hair.”

               Sephiroth’s lips pressed into a line again, a little wrinkle forming between his brows.

               “You are Zack’s friend,” he answered.

               “I didn’t ask what I am to Zack, I asked what I am to _you_.”

               “That is what you are,” he said, sterner. “A friend of a friend. I have followed every social protocol I know for this situation. Have I done so incorrectly?”

               Cloud’s stomach plummeted. He knew he paled, knew he turned as white as the snows of Mt. Nibel. The tremor in his hands grew, shivered up his arms, and his eyes began to sting. He knew, he _knew_ this was coming, deep down he really did, but he had told himself he was wrong, that he was misinterpreting, that they were at least _friends_ if not the something closer he hoped for.

               He had never hated being right more in his life.

               “Cloud?” he asked. He almost sounded concerned, and that shocked a hard, bitter laugh out of Cloud. Now, of course it was _now_ he started to care. But not for him as a person, oh no, never that, he was clear on that now. His concern was probably how to get rid of him the quickest. “If I’ve done something wrong, it wasn’t my intention.”

               And that was the worst part, wasn’t it? Sephiroth was trying, honest to gods trying his best to do right by Cloud. It wasn’t his fault Cloud had feelings for him. It wasn’t his fault that Cloud had gotten in over his head before he could see the painfully obvious truth right before him.

               “No, you were the perfect _friend of a friend_ ,” Cloud bit, hard and bitter, face still turned to his toes. He couldn’t stop the tears that dripped to the floor.

               “I’ve upset you,” he said, but he sounded hesitant. Like he said, it hadn’t been his intent. It wasn’t his fault. It was Cloud’s, all Cloud’s, and he couldn’t even pretend otherwise anymore.

               “Yeah,” Cloud said, laughing that hard, quick laugh again, before using the heel of his hand to push the tears from his eyes. “Yeah, you really have.”

               “Did I say something incorrectly? I have no wish for you to be so… miserable.”

               “ _No_ ,” Cloud corrected, “you have no wish for me to be miserable in your apartment.”

               “I…” he said, paused, really hesitated for the first time Cloud could remember. “Zack would be upset that I’ve upset you, I wouldn’t want that.”

               When Cloud laughed again, it was louder, longer; he dashed the tears from his eyes again.

               “So that’s what it comes down to, huh? My only worth to you is how I impact Zack.”

               When Cloud looked up, Sephiroth was clearly conflicted. Apparently the social lessons he’d been given had never covered a situation like this. Cloud snorted a laugh.

               What Cloud should have done was offer an apology, leave, and go cry the rest of this out in private, like a sensible human being. But no, he was a Strife. He had iron in his blood, steel in his spine, and apparently, a bright, blazing fire in his temper.

               When he looked up, his expression was hard; it took Sephiroth aback. He couldn’t think of a single time he had seen that expression from the blond before. He certainly didn’t expect for him to crowd forward, to lean up with such anger.

               “I have done everything in my power to be your friend. I _thought_ we were friends, but I guess that’s too much to ask from the Great Sephiroth, The General, Demon of Wutai, Hero of Shinra,” Cloud snapped. He watched Sephiroth’s face melt into confusion and a hint of irritation. Cloud knew he hated those titles; it was exactly why he used them. “Gods forbid you deign to notice someone as _lowly_ as a _trooper_. You only noticed Zack because he was a SOLDIER, probably not until he at least made Third, and only because he was determined to be your friend and wouldn’t take no for an answer. He forced you to notice him and had the rank to back it up—I doubt you would have spared him a glance if he was in my shoes.”

               “I’m the highest ranking officer in Shinra,” he explained. He was lost; he had no idea what Cloud was so upset about. He had no idea _Cloud_ had the nerve to snipe at _him_. “I can’t know each of my subordinates.”

               “But you know me!” Cloud shot back, leaning up into Sephiroth’s space. Sephiroth filtered through his memories—no one had ever done this to him before. He backed up a step, and Cloud just followed. “We were introduced, we’ve spent hours and hours together, you _know_ me but you couldn’t be _bothered_ to give a damn because of my _rank_! I have never known such a shallow man in my _life_.”

               Sephiroth frowned, but kept letting Cloud crowd him backward. He was too busy trying to think if he had any sort of counter argument, only to find that no, no he didn’t. Cloud was right. He hadn’t bothered to give Cloud a chance. Maybe he should have.

               “I can’t _believe_ I let myself care so much about you! I cared so much that I let you walk all over me, and you didn’t even hesitate, you just acted like it was your right!”

               Cloud shoved him; his back hit the door. Somewhere along the line, Cloud had started to yell. Sephiroth had no idea what to do. _No one_ had _ever_ raised their voice to him before, much less put hands on him in such a manner. He watched with wide eyes, dumb with shock.

               The tears returned to Cloud’s eyes, and his voice shook, either with sorrow or anger—neither could tell which.

               “You’re everything to me, yet I’m nothing to you.”

               Sephiroth looked like he’d been slapped. He was certainly reeling as if he had been.

               Carefully, Cloud leaned away and took a step back.

               “Get out of my way,” Cloud ordered, and it _was_ an order. Another thing no one had dared to do before.

               To Sephiroth’s surprise, he moved to obey silently, without hesitation.

               Cloud didn’t spare him another glance. He stepped through the door and slammed it behind him.

               When Zack got a call from Cloud requesting to train together, he hadn’t thought much of it. When he met with the blond, saw his face red and splotchy, eyes puffy, he didn’t need to ask what had happened.

               “Oh, Cloud,” he had said, pulling his friend into a hug. Cloud had pressed his face to Zack’s chest, hands fisting in the back of his shirt.

               “I’m an idiot,” he said, words muffled by Zack’s shirt.

               “You’re not,” Zack insisted. “I should have stepped in.”

               “No, you shouldn’t have,” Cloud said, pulling away, rubbing at an eye. “I think it’s better that I found out this way. I just… probably shouldn’t have handled it how I did.” Zack’s brow furrowed.

               “What happened?”

               “I may have yelled at him. A lot.”

               Zack looked stunned. Cloud looked sheepish, rubbing at the back of his neck.

               “I know. Stupid, right?” Cloud asked. “Come on, can we just train, please? I don’t really want to think about it more than I have to.”

               Zack shook himself from his stupor and complied. He did his best to wear Cloud out, pushing him hard in the gym, pushing him harder in sparring. He had gone easy on him at first, but Cloud wouldn’t have it. He pressed and pressed and pressed, working Zack up without him knowing it. They were trading hard blows, hard enough that Zack knew he had bruises, and he _knew_ he had forgotten to check his strength—it was honestly a relief that Cloud hadn’t broken anything. But when they finished, Cloud just thanked him and waved him away when offered a Cure. He managed to bully the blond into taking a potion before he left, though both knew he wouldn’t use it. Cloud wanted the aches and pains; it distracted him from the hurts in his heart.

               Ironically enough, screaming in Sephiroth’s face was exactly what it took for him to notice Cloud. Unfortunately, Sephiroth also had no idea what to do about it. He watched the training footage from his spars with Zack and the few times they entered the VR rooms. He kept up to date on any reports referring to the trooper, but there was little else to be done. Zack wouldn’t mention him. When he approached a lunch table they sat at, Cloud completely ignored his existence and Zack grimaced, making an aborting gesture before gesturing with his head for him to leave. The PHS chat between the three of them fell dead.

               Sephiroth didn’t know what to do, so he did what he usually did when lost in social situations: he asked Zack.

               “Seph, c’mon,” Zack had said with that grimace again.

               “Come on what?”

               “He needs his space right now,” Zack said, gently as he could. “I know you didn’t mean to, but you hurt him pretty bad.”

               “I have no way to repair things unless he speaks to me.”

               “You _want_ to fix things?”

               “No one has ever had the nerve to raise their voice to me, much less put hands on me in anger. I dismissed him too quickly; there seems to be more to him that I thought.”

               “Oh _man_ ,” Zack said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. “He would’ve killed to hear you say that a week ago.”

               “A week isn’t so long. Is there no hope now?”

               “Seph, he’s trying to move on. You can’t ask him to stay around just in case you _might_ find him interesting.”

               “I do find him interesting.”

               “That’s not what I mean. He _likes_ you.”

               “… I’m aware.”

               “No, man, I mean romantically. If you don’t feel the same way, it’s not fair to him to ask him to stay.”

               “How will I know if I’m inclined toward a romantic relationship with him if I don’t spend time with him?”

               Zack stared at him in surprise. It lasted long enough that Sephiroth raised his eyebrows to prompt him.

               “You mean you might actually…?”

               “How can I know if he avoids me?”

               Zack ran a hand over his face.

               “Alright,” he conceded, though he didn’t sound happy about it. “You give him as long as he needs to get past the heartbreak, and I mean _as long as he needs_ , even if it’s years.”

               Sephiroth didn’t look pleased, but he nodded his consent.

               “When he can stand being around you, you can try again. I don’t promise anything will come of it, but I’ll try to get him to give you a chance. He won’t be happy about it. You’re gonna have to work hard to get back in his good graces. But maybe, _maybe_ if you try hard, he’ll give you a shot.”

               Something in Sephiroth’s chest unwound. He hadn’t realized how much stake he had placed in this.

               “Thank you,” he said, and he was surprised to realize he had never been so sincere in his life.

               Zack looked at him for a while, considering, looking him over, searching for something. Eventually, he cracked this lopsided smile and shook his head.

               “What am I gonna do with you two?”

               “Help, hopefully.”


	2. Chapter 2

               “Zack, no.”

               “C’mon, Cloud!”

               “I said no.”

               “It’s been a year, and I’m not even asking for an hour—”

               “ _Zack_.”

               “Please? I’m only asking you to try.”

               “That’s asking for a lot.”

               “I’ll drop it if you do.”

               Cloud paused and turned to Zack. He should have known better; of _course_ he was given the puppy eyes. He groaned and rolled his eyes, but he did cross the room to head for the door.

               “You had better,” Cloud said, ignoring Zack’s whoop of excitement. “If I hear another word about this from you, you’re going on the ‘ignore’ list too.”

               “You’re the best, Cloud,” Zack said, falling into step in the hallway.

               “Damn right,” Cloud said under his breath.

               Zack began to chatter away, and honestly, it was probably for the best. Cloud would have gotten too far inside his own head, worked himself up too much, and made everything worse. That is, as if things _could_ get worse. At the moment, he couldn’t imagine anything he’d dread more than lunch with Sephiroth.

               Zack was right, it had been a year since Cloud summarily cut Sephiroth out of his life; a year Sephiroth spent trying to weasel his way back into it. He had made SOLDIER, thanks to Zack’s training, but by some miracle, he still managed to avoid Sephiroth outside of their brief run in at the commencement ceremony. Their only interaction was in the form of emails briefing him on his missions. Though Zack had agreed to help Sephiroth, he also knew he couldn’t rush things. Though Zack was often thought of as an airhead, he could read situations well, and people even better. It took a lot of careful gauging to pick up on Cloud’s Sephiroth-tolerance, and he had erred on the side of caution, giving Cloud more time than he really thought he needed. The situation was as good as it was going to get.

               As they approached the restaurant, Zack noticed Cloud’s pace dropping and the nervous way he eyed the building. Zack stepped in front of him, blocking his view, and put his hands on Cloud’s shoulders.

               “It’s gonna be fine,” he reassured. “You’ve done this a thousand times before. You can do this.”

               Cloud still looked nervous when he said, “Things were different then.”

               “They’re not so different now.”

               Cloud gave him a flat look.

               “I made a total ass out of myself,” the blond insisted. “I lashed out at him for something that wasn’t his fault. I don’t know why you want to do this, he’s not going to want to see me.”

               Zack blinked at him in surprise.

               “You mean you’re not still mad at him?” he asked.

               Cloud sighed and answered, “I mean it still hurts, and I still think he didn’t give me a fair shot, but you can’t help how you feel about someone. The way I figure it, he spent enough time around me that, even if he was biased, if he actually liked me, he would have noticed me anyway.”

               “Cloud,” Zack said, tone strangely serious, “you give him way too much credit.”

               His brow furrowed, and he asked, “What does that mean?”

               Zack glanced over his shoulder at the restaurant, but let go of Cloud’s shoulders.

               “I’m probably not supposed to tell you, but he’s too proud to, and I think you have a right to know.”

               “… This isn’t something I’ll be happy to hear, is it?”

               “Probably not. I can keep my mouth shut, if you’d prefer it.”

               Cloud sighed and blew the hair from in front of his eyes.

               “I’d rather know the truth.”

               “You were right,” he explained. “He’s a prick and didn’t look at you twice because you were a trooper. He _still_ probably wouldn’t look at you twice, now that you’re a Third. He doesn’t even know most Seconds’ names, but he probably would have given you a shot if you were—but I’m getting side-tracked. You got his attention. No one’s ever yelled at him and he’s _definitely_ never been pushed in an argument.”

               Cloud blinked at him and paused, and then burst out laughing.

               “Gods, but he’s _spoiled_ isn’t he?” Cloud asked between laughs. “I spent then next month wondering how in the hells I got away with it. Who knew losing my temper was all it took?”

               Zack offered a lopsided smile.

               “He wants a chance. I’m not sure he’s sorry for how he acted, but he definitely changed his mind about you.”

               Cloud thought about it for longer than Zack expected, but eventually he sighed and looked back up.

               “He gets one chance—I still think he’s shallow and now I _know_ he’s a spoiled brat,” Cloud said. Zack clapped a hand to his shoulder and resumed walking to the restaurant.

               “He’ll just have to take what he can get.”

               Sephiroth was already seated at a table, looking absently out of the window, thankfully around the corner from where they’d had their brief conversation. Cloud hesitated in the doorway; in spite of himself, all the old insecurities of dealing with the man rose back up in a sharp wave. The frantic need for approval, doing anything to get his attention, the desperate, desperate need to be liked. He remembered the way Sephiroth had metaphorically stepped all over him and used those feelings to get the best of Cloud, tricking him into agreeing to absolutely anything,  without even knowing what he was doing. He found he still felt that old longing, but it was tempered by the sharp reality check he’d been given. He no longer viewed Sephiroth through rose-colored lenses. The man could be shallow, short-sighted, bratty, and full of his own self-importance. He wanted to find any excuse he could to take the man to task, and very, very consciously put to the side the idea that that impulse might have been because it seemed to be the only way he could get the man’s attention. Just as Cloud had before, Sephiroth needed a reality check, one he apparently wasn’t getting from Shinra _or_ Zack.

               “You okay, man?” Zack asked as he paused; even the hostess was looking at him hesitantly.

               If no one else would do keep the man’s ego in line, he would. If Sephiroth wanted to be around him, this would be the price. Cloud resolved to be both honest with himself and Sephiroth. There was no denying that longing, and while he was hesitant, there probably was no harm in treating him the way he would another potential friend. But he would stop censoring himself, stop putting Sephiroth on a pedestal, especially one that Cloud wasn’t sure he deserved anymore.

               He nodded, and Zack nodded at the hostess to indicate that they were meeting someone, Cloud following in his footsteps as they approached. Despite his convictions, that hesitancy didn’t quite fall away entirely.

               Sephiroth looked up as they approached, his eyes skimming over Zack before settling on Cloud. The blond found himself pinned and faltered mid-step before continuing. If nothing else, the contrast made it clear how thoroughly Sephiroth had ignored him before. Now, he watched Cloud’s every motion in earnest, and, while he remained stoic, he pulled himself up straighter, leaned just barely forward, ready to engage.

               Zack slid into the booth first, Cloud following suit; he was glad for Zack giving him an escape route, though he wasn’t sure if it was intentional or not.

               “Hello,” Sephiroth started.

               “Hi,” Cloud offered in return. Zack didn’t even attempt to be a part of the conversation; this was between Cloud and Sephiroth. He was there as a buffer, a referee in case things went south. He watched with interest, chin propped up with one hand, but remained uncharacteristically silent.

               “I would… like to apologize,” Sephiroth said, his legendary confidence strangely absent. “I was, as you said, shallow, and treated you poorly unduly. If you’re willing, I would like to do what I can to rectify the situation.”

               The moment hung as Cloud looked him over, searching for any hint of insincerity. If anything, the way he shifted (nervously?) as the silence stretched convinced him of the man’s intentions.

               “Can I be frank with you?” Cloud asked. Sephiroth gestured with one hand for him to continue, and Cloud folded his hands on the table, leaning forward. “I think people are so intimidated by you that they’ve let you get away with a lot of shit. It’s not your fault that other people’s behavior taught you that that was okay, but that doesn’t excuse it. I’m done taking your shit. You want to be friends? Start at the beginning like everyone else. If we get along when we’re treating each other as equals, that’s great. But, outside of work, I’m not going to defer to you anymore. If you want my respect, earn it.”

               To Cloud’s surprise, Sephiroth nodded readily and agreed. He apparently had no fondness for being coddled and was affronted that he’d been afforded privileges that he hadn’t earned. If anything, he saw Cloud’s terms as a challenge, and there were few things he loved more.

               More than once, over the lunch, Cloud interrupted to, as promised, call him out on his shit. Each time, Sephiroth pursed his lips in frustration; he truly hadn’t realized the scale of his social entitlement. Zack interjected rarely, usually waiting to be drawn into the conversation, but otherwise watching with clear interest. Honestly, he’d never seen such spine from Cloud; his friend was usually shy, socially timid and a little awkward. Yet he was speaking with confidence, sometimes even taking the reins to lead the conversation. He was similarly surprised to see Sephiroth accepting the scolding. Corrections aside, they truly spoke as equals. The difference between their conversations before and now couldn’t have been starker. Zack found that he needed to play referee very little. They spoke, traded anecdotes, debated lightly over mundane topics.

               Frankly, Zack couldn’t have been more proud of Cloud.

               Things progressed surprisingly quickly from there. They began to text back and forth, and Zack caught each of them hiding laughs from reading the messages (with little smiles that grew fonder and fonder until they were outright sappy). Their group chat restarted, and they took meals together again, though there were times where Zack had “work” and left the two to their own devices.

               Zack had done his part. He said he’d Cloud to give Sephiroth a chance; it seemed a chance was all he needed. Frankly, they were too alike to not get along. They understood each other with a rare ease, now that the initial miscommunication was out of the way. The rest was up to Sephiroth—he could only do so much to set two people up.

               Still, he didn’t _really_ think they’d become an item. That old hurt lingered in Cloud’s heart, and it made him falter from time to time. Sephiroth, for his part, didn’t always appreciate having his entitlement pointed out to him. It caused more than one scathing argument that had one or the other storming away with a few days of icy silence where they stubbornly ignored each other’s existence. At first, Zack had to intervene again to get them to patch things up, but they learned to make up on their own. Most of the time it was in the form of apologies hidden between words, in offers to buy favorite foods and tentative texts that reconvened conversation while avoiding the argument itself.

               It was, admittedly, rocky. It was why it came as a blinding surprise when they found another way to make up in just three months.

               It had been a very, very long time since Zack knocked on Sephiroth’s office door. He always just waltzed right in, usually dropping into his spare chair without being acknowledged, sometimes kicking his feet up on Sephiroth’s desk and ignoring the justified glare.

               What he had not expected was to find Sephiroth pinning Cloud up against a wall. The blond’s hands were buried into Sephiroth’s hair, mussing it as he pulled the man close. One of Sephiroth’s hands had dipped down to cup Cloud’s ass and press him nearer, one knee between the blond’s parted legs. The other had slipped up Cloud’s shirt, his SOLDIER belt absent, showing a wide expense of skin. His SOLDIER-issue turtleneck was askew at the neck, showing more than one red mark decorating his throat. Zack had entered just in time to catch Cloud give a high, needy little whine, just barely muffled by what was clearly a deep, passionate kiss.

               Zack paused mid-step, for once, shocked into silence.

               It wasn’t until the door bounced off the wall and swung shut that the two noticed the interruption.

               Cloud immediately turned bright red, from his cheeks to his hairline to the tips of his ears. The hand Sephiroth had splayed on the blond’s stomach had paused, but he showed no other signs of hesitance.

               “I thought you two were fighting,” Zack blurted. He hadn’t even realized they had become a _thing_ , much less enough of an item for unexpected office make-outs.

               “We were,” Sephiroth admitted, unruffled.

               Zack paused, muttered, “Right,” turned, and left the room. He hesitated on just the other side of the door, and he could hear Cloud burst into (what was probably nervous) laughter. Sephiroth said something in return; the door muffled his words, but the deep, deep rumble of his voice came across. Zack rubbed a hand over his face and left, resolving to start knocking on Sephiroth’s office door.

               Whether they were at odds or in love, they would be the death of him.

**Author's Note:**

> I MAY write a second chapter to this. If I do, it'll be the get-together chapter with a happy ending, but I make no promises about getting to it. I have some more prompts I want to fill and two ongoing fics that need updating, so I'll see what I can do, but keep an eye out if you're interested!


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